Memory of the Tribe
'Animals' The Destroyer The earth grew tired one day of being trampled by the animals. It commanded the plants to grow so strong that all life perished, suffocated. The most massive of animals burst into a blind rage, crushing the vegetation under its bulk. The vegetation surrendered, but the anger of the destroyer abides. The destroyer feeds on plants. Its mass is such that crushes all in its path, including the pri-ckly that stops all other animals. A destroyer is a danger to all villages. The Planter There was once an animal so voracious that it gobbled down all the plants in sight, leaving only desert in its wake. The breath of plants went to plead with the beast, but it ate the breath as well. Ever since then, the planter sows new vegetation throughout the land. The gargantuan planter roams the earth sowing vegetation as it goes. It flees only fire. The Journey Music The world was created with a sound. The sound snaked and music was born, and with it all the elements: the sun, the water, the earth and life. When the music fluctuates, so do the elements, because all is movement and music is the reflection of this movement, The trees of water vibrate naturally to the music of water, the trees of fire resonate to the music of fire and so forth… As for the men, they have the ability to learn each of the melodies of the world. They do so by obtaining a power. Knowledge The Ancients knew that the men disappeared over time, while the knowledge they gained on their journey had to be preserved. This is why the engraved the undulations of the music of knowledge on the stones. The stones of knowledge possess a special form of protection. A member of the tribe must retrieve these for a village. Once this man has obtained this knowledge, he paints it on a kit, then returns home. The knowledge thus takes effect. Each village can share the knowledge they possess with the other villages by sending forth a man. The Breath It is by playing music, the shaman tells us, that we discovered the breath of the tribe. The breath is what makes us men. And through the breath we can act upon the world and apply the powers of music. Every creature and every element, without exception, possesses its own breath. To known its music is to master its actions. Thus a tree of fire possesses the breath of fire. The power of the breath of man lies in its ability to acquire all the music of the world. The Portal The men discovered that the Ancients had left them a passage by which to pursue their journey. They descended into the narrow bowls of the earth to accomplish a ritual. There, the shaman asked the breath of the earth to take them to their destination. And they understood then, that a new passage would rise up before them in each new place; until they discovered sanctuary of the Ancients. A passage is a portal left by the Ancients. Once a land has been explored and the knowledge it conceals has been reaped, the men move on. They cross its threshold and disappear. The Totems When the Ancients would leave one place for another, all trace of them became lost. So they erected totems to echo the breath of the tribe. This is why the power of the Ancients takes the form of a totem. A totem bears witness to the passage of a tribe through a location. It is all that remains when a village disappears, and marks the sport where a new village may be rebuilt. It may be submerged by water or lava. Sometimes, it becomes possible for men to move a totem. 'Geology' The Earth Upon its creation, the earth compared itself to the rock and envied its hardness. Earth was like soft flesh on solid bone, and the rivers gouged wrinkles into it constantly. Feeling useless, the earth retreated; and all that its entrails contained was swallowed by the sea; the sources and the buried relics… And everything that the earth held up was carried away by the waves; rivers, plants, creatures and villages alike. Nothing remained by the bare and desolate rock. The earth was the first element that the breath of the tribe was able to manipulate. The plants and trees grew upon it. The water formed ravines. Fire cannot not spread on the naked earth. The Rock The breath of the earth and the breath of fire came together at the bottom of a volcano and a fountain of lava was born of their union. The breath of fire escaped from the lava; but the lava hardened emprisoning the breath of earth inside. This is why rock seems so hard and immutable. Rock is the most resistant of all elements and serves as the foundation for the islands and continents. A tsunami cannot break rock, but the sea can erode it when tempests are in season. Fire cannot propagate on its surface. When it cools, lava turns to rock. Only the explosive tree can harm it. The Sources The water wept as it flowed ever downwards. It sent streams to learn the music of earth in order to move more freely along its surface. But the earth sensed it and absorbed these watery serpents. Some hid beneath the earth… From time to time, the serpents emerge from their nest: these are sources. The sources flow of their own volition and may be liberated by digging through the surface. They carry earth all along their course. And a silt-rich source will deposit earth at the bottom of its riverbed, forming a delta. The Volcano In the beginning, the sea was lonely, all spread out in the middle of the universe. The sun came near to console the sea. But it shrunk back and the sun sunk to the very bottom of the sea. Its ardent fire warmed and revived the rock, which broke through the surface of the sea water: the first volcano was born. When the volcano awakens, it can spew cinders and bombs. From its mouth spills a river of lava, once or repeatedly, depending on its mood. The lava burning and destroys all in its passage, but once cooled, it congeals into the most solid of rock. The Tide The sea marvels to watch the animals on the surface of the earth. It wanted to possess at least one of life’s attributes, and obtained that of its breath. Hence forth, sea’s surface rises and falls in rhythm. The rhythm and the amplitude of the tides varies from one place to the next. The tides reconnect the islands when they abate, and submerge the territories at high tide. The Tsunami The sea saw the earth raise up mountain and volcanos. It wanted to rise up to meet them, but the water fell down each time, defeated by its own gravity. When the earth watched the sea with disdain, the sea said: ‘Water can not only rise up, but also move forward: henceforth, tidal waves will sweep across and swallow up a part of the earth.’ The tsunamis are the roar of the sea, once or repeatedly. Nothing can hold them back except certain cliffs, which tower over their foam The villages can nevertheless protect themselves by way of a power: repel water. The Caldera Once a shaman tried to seize the power of the earth. To do so, he was to play music from a shell he would find on the shore. But the shell the shaman chose was too small, so when he brazenly ordered the earth to collapse (thinking to show off his new power), only a small portion of the earth ceded around him! When the earth grows bored, it laughs to itself while recalling this tale. The caldera is formed by a circle of terrain that collapses under the effect of an earthquake. Whatever is within the perimeter of the circle when the crater forms remains unharmed. Territories The Breath In the beginning, even the Ancients had no breath. With nothing but a shell and a piece of wood that they found, they began to play. The music sprang forth, and with it a tiny breath. They attached the breath to themselves. Seeing that it was empty, they decided to offer the breath all the music of the world. The island sheltered none, and so they moved on. This island contains the breath of the tribe. The Ritual The Ancients arrived on a chain of islands where life thrived on a silt-rich delta. They made a circle to enact the ritual from whence their village would emerge. The totem did not yet have a shape. The shaman incanted: ‘May our totem reflect the movement of the world that is music, but also out nature as men, which is to craft/ If we leave, a part of our memory will remain inscribed on it.” The archipelago contains 1 totem and 1 hidden source of sediment. The Roar of the Sea The ancients came to the coast in the hopes of harnessing the breath of water. The music of the lakes and the sources was too weak for their ears. They moves to the seaside, the better to hear it. There, the music was louder… so loud that it rose to its maximum height and nearly swallowed their village. The Ancients also engraved the knowledge of water on a stone. By deciphering it, the future tribes could protect themselves. The First Power The Ancients followed the coast to a beach tormented by tsunamis. Although they possessed the knowledge of water, they could not leave their villages. So a man was sent to recover the Amplify power. He spoke to a volcano that had pierced through the earth nearby: ‘Let us take your lava in order to protect the most exposed of our villages. Your lava, become rock, will rise higher than the highest wave!’ Thus, the wall was born. The Thousand Sources The Ancients left the coast to explore inland. The country was covered with sources whose torrents eroded the soil and stripped it bare. The men decided to help the earth. They discovered the power Evaporate, then buried the sources one after the other. Peace returned, but the vegetation deprived of water perished and the desert set in. The Ancients, who had privileged the earth over water were forced to leave. Wildfires The Ancients came to a ravaged island. The vegetation ceaselessly caught fire, and the rivers gouged ravines in the earth. The trees of fire occupied half of the island and the trees of water the other, because their breaths were so incompatible. The men settled down near the trees of fire to learn their music, then near the trees of water. They attempted to calm their breaths, but the trees continued to fight. When the men gave up hope and left, the destruction began anew. Waves The Ancients set foot on a strange land, which rose and fell with a gentle tide. The presence of the trees of water and the trees of fire frightened the Ancients who had already suffered from their clash. A man then noticed that a tree of fire and one of water and become intertwined. The fire of the first nourished the water of the second, from which vegetation grew. When the Ancients understood that the two breaths would oppose each other or join forced depending on the circumstances, they pursed their journey. On this territory, you can form a long serpent of jellified water to grow vegetation on. The vegetation will spread along the water until it begins to flow again, when the effect of the power wears off. High Tides In the beginning, the archipelago had no tides, and the Ancients settled down without fear. One day, they used a power of water to push back the sea in order to spread the vegetation. And since then, the sea comes regularly to submerge the earth and recover what was stolen, You can use the musical power of the villages to shut off the three sources of water and dry up the centre of the territory. Tears of Stone The Ancients once came to a verdant coast. Very soon, a great volcano burst into rage and its tears of stone in fusion surrounded the villages. The men wished to play the music of the volcano in order to sooth it, but the breath of the lava and of the rock were inaccessible nestled within the boiling entrails of the volcano. The shaman detected the echo of its breath in the heart of the explosive trees, which fled in panic before the approaching fire. Thanks to this tree, the flows of lava have left the Ancients in peace. The water sources have been covered by volcanic ash. To control the volcano you must dig them up. The Raging Earth The Ancients climbed atop a high plateau forever shrouded in mist, and from which resounded a chaotic uproar: the sources and the volcanoes had joined forces so completely that nothing else could survive there. The Ancients, who had learned their music, decided to separate them. At first, it worked… Then the water and the fire grew out of control, and the plateau once more become uninhabitable. In the midst of the raging battle between fire and water, the tree of water was victories over the explosive tree. But the seeds of the explosive tree remain just beneath the soil, ready to help re-establish the balance. Emergence The Ancients arrived on a reef lost at sea. Since they possessed many powers, they decided to create their own land: first a cinder-spewing volcano, then a muddy source… But their island grew so heavy that the ea swallowed it up. The Ancients left, knowing that the breath which had just created was merely asleep. Movements The Ancients came to a vast extinct crater. They left and upon their return , the volcano overflowed with large quantities of lava, creating islands. Again they took leave. Later , they returned to find that the volcano had become extinct and that sources had been revealed. And when they went back to the crater the next time, the landscape had once again changed. All is fluid and fleeting, they say, like the earth and the sea and the men that pass. Powers Amplify the Breath On a beach, an Ancient discovered music which had become trapped in a shell. In its efforts to escape, the music had coiled back on itself. When the Ancient freed the music, it unfurled and was amplified. Thus the power to Amplify was born. Amplify increases the capacity of the Breath of the tribe, so that the tribe can carry more earth, sea or lava. It’s effect is temporary. Jellify Water One day, the shaman of the Ancients wanted to capture the breath of water. The breath escaped his grasp, but he did manage to capture a part of its music. When he played it, he noticed that the water would congeal: thus he was able to tame the errant nature of the water. The Jellify water power immobilizes water wherever it may be – lakes, rivers and even seas. The water acts as an obstacle. Its effect is temporary. Put Out Fire The fire was compelled by its insatiable appetite to race after the plants, animals and men. When a fire threatened to consume his village, a shaman of the Ancients sat down before it. He asked the fire to grant him the music of its movement, so that his village might be spared. Thus the power of half fire was born. The Put out fire power stops fire wherever it may be. Its effect is temporary. Evaporate The Ancients needed to settle in a village that was flooded. The shaman told the water: ‘Grant us the music to turn you into vapour, and we will make a great cloud of you.’ Delighted , the water accepted. Thus the power was born. The evaporate power lowers the level of water wherever it is found. Its effect is temporary. Infinite Earth A shaman learned the music of the earth. It’s power was so mighty that man delighted in using it to create islands and raise hills all around him. He passed the power on to all he met. The music grew weary and its potency waned. On that day, all the powers become ephemeral. The Infinite Earth power enables the Breath of the tribe to generate great quantities of earth. Its effect is temporary. Engulf All Once upon a time, the powers of creation were so mighty that their music deafened the world whenever they were used. Then a silence was born; so potent was the silence that it swallowed up the elements themselves. The Engulf all power enables the Breath of the tribe to absorb the water, the earth and the lava in its path. Its effect is temporary. Vegetation The Tree of Water One day a tree attempted to stop the tide that rose ever higher. It swallowed all the water it could. But it bloated so much that it exploded. And thus it continues to this day. The water tree grows on the land. During its lifetime it constantly absorbs water by its roots, then explodes in a magnificent geyser. Its seed is released and a new tree grows in its stead. When fire approaches, it releases the water it stores and pushes back the fire surrounding it. The Explosive Tree A long time ago, a tree found itself threatened by fire. It sought to expulse its seed, but it remained stuck within. So the tree tensed, bloated and then burst with a great detonation. The explosive tree grows on land. In the presence of fire, it bursts, makes a hole, and the seed it releases immediately produces a new tree. It fears the tree of fire. But even the rock of the mountains and of the creaters are no match for its explosion. The Tree of Fire One day, a tree stole the breath of fire from a volcano. Since then, the fire avenges itself by devouring the entire tree, leaving only the seed to germinate straight away. And the cycle recommences without end. The tree of fire grows on the land. At the end of its life, it catches fire. It evaporates all the water surrounding it before setting the vegetation on fire. Men and animals flee before its formidable flames, which even triggers the explosive tree, hence renewing the earth. The coral plant is the only plant to resist the flames of this tree; but only the water tree can contain its power. The Palm Trees The first animals came into existence on a new island. But there was nothing but the earth, arid and barren, and that is why they all perished. As soon as the palms grew, the animals prospered and men settled in. The palms grow on the naked earth but does not encroach on other vegetation. It will not grow on either rock or water. It is inflammable. The Coral Plant Regularly, the fire would ravage a valley. One scrawny plant manages to hide in the earth. There its roots imprisoned the breath of fire, which enveloped the plant with a fireproof hide. The coral plant grows on the naked earth, but does not encroach upon other vegetation. It will not grow on water or rock. Fire is extinguished upon contact with it. The Pric-kly The earth created the islands, on which the sea constantly nibbled until none remained. So life gave the earth the pric-kly. The plant covered the islands with a blanket insensitive to the assaults of the sea, but so barbed that all other forms of life would become its prisoners. The pric-kly grows on the naked earth but does not encroach on the other plants. It does not grow on water or rock, the fire consumes it. It stops men and animals alike, expect for the destroy who can charge right through the pric-kly. Tribe The Shaman In the past, the tribe did not have a shaman, and the men told the same stories differently each time. In order that the breath should speak with one voice the men named a shaman. The shaman is the mediator between the tribe and breaths of the world. The shaman is a man or a woman of the village. The title confers no privileges and nothing distinguishes the shaman from the rest of the tribe. The shaman is replaced upon death. In the village, the shaman tells stories and deciphers music. The Village The men journeyed endlessly. Since they suffered from loneliness, they decided to populate the lands they came upon. They performed the ritual around the totem, and built their huts. A village serves as shelter, and as a place for men to survive and carry on. When a village is created, vegetation propagates all around it. A village is vulnerable to numerous threats – fire, flooding or rampaging destroyers – but the powers can protect the village from all of these. Sometimes, a village can be moved. Around the village, the men sculpt statues where they consign their knowledge gained through experience. The Power of Water One day, so sat the Ancients, we men offended the breath of water and a tsunami swept down upon us. At the last moment, our shaman discerned the beauty of its music in the midst of the roaring. We playing it and the tsunami spared the village. All villages are vulnerable to the threat of rising waters that can drown. This power holds back the water of a river, a rising tide or a tsunami beyond the circle of the village. It is obtainable with a stone of knowledge and can be transmitted from one village to another. Its protection is permanent. The Power of Lava One day, so say the Ancients, we put out the fire of the village without honouring it. The breath of fire took umbrage and the great flames leapt after us. In the midst of their roar, the shaman thus heard the beautiful music of the flames. We played it, and the fire spared the village. All villages are vulnerable to the threat of fire and lava, which can burn the huts and swallow them beneath the magma. This power stops fire and lava at the perimeter of the village. It is obtainable with a stone of knowledge, and can be transmitted from one village to another. Its protect is permanent. The Masks Before, the members of the tribe made music with bare heads, but the sounds that sprang from their instruments different each time, and the power altered. A shaman made white masks, and the music, this time, worked. Because those who play with a mask are no longer man nor woman, nor aged – but the breath of the tribe in its entirety. A mask is the intermediary between the wearer and the instrument he plays. Each child receives a mask at his (or her) initiation, and will not set it aside until his or her death. Thus the members of the tribe can play at any time. These masks are the only crafted objects they take on their journey. The Men In the beginning, the men were good at nothing. They did not burn like the lava, nor did they sprinkle like the water, they could not build dams like the dyker and had not the appetite of the destroyer. So the breath of life gave or offered them the ability to learn and to transmit the music of things. The men know how to find food for themselves in the nature. They live in tribes, wear masks and have a shaman. The quest of the Ancients guides them across the world. It may be that they will find their own music.